Dear Waylon: 13 months

My little man,

Month 13.

You are:

Independent.

Hilarious.

Smart.

Curious.

We made a lot of fun memories this month.

We played with birthday toys a lot.

And spent a lot of time outdoors.

You kept me laughing with your hilarious sense of humor.

I love to see you crack yourself up.

Or if you get really excited and start acting silly. My favorite.

You took your first trip to Trade Days at Tannehill.

We pulled you around in your wagon, which you loved.

So many people stopped to say how cute you are.

We even had a couple of ladies request to take your picture. A little strange, yes.

Anyway, we found some great buys.

new tupperware sippy cups.

an Alabama checkerboard.

a HUGE watermelon.

tools for Daddy.

You've discovered the art of messiness.

You like to "finger paint" with milk when Mommy's not looking.

We took you to the zoo for your birthday.

You loved it! Even though it was hot, you were such a trooper.

We talked about the animals, what they were named and the sounds they make.

You aren't walking yet, but you are oh so close.

You can stand in the middle of the floor without help.

You have a lot more steadiness and confidence with your balance.

You will take steps if you're holding someone's hand.

I suppose you're just not ready yet. And that's okay.

I know you'll take off when the time is right for you.

You are quite the talker.

I love how you raise those blonde eyebrows. That's when you know it's serious talk.

In other news....

You are learning to be a good listener. You mind really well.

You respond to commands and word clues, like "off limits" or "stop".

You are so flexible. You don't flip out if we get off schedule sometimes.

You are not a picky eater and you sleep really well.

Quite honestly, you are such an easy baby I'm a little nervous about having another one.

Not to worry, you will have at least one sibling (more if I can convince your dad ;)

I'm just enjoying you right now. I'm not in a hurry for baby #2, although I get asked about that often.

Not anytime soon people. Unless the Lord decides otherwise.

We went to your one year doctor appointment. You weighed 22 pounds 7 ounces and were 29 3/4 inches long. You've grown right at 8 inches this year. You are spot on with the average for both categories. We still get comments about how big you are, but I think it's just those sweet, juicy cheeks that fool everyone.

You are wearing 12-18 month clothes for the most part.

You can still wear some 9 months and some 18 months are too big.

You don't wear shoes very often, but you are in size 3 now.

You are still wearing size 3 Huggies.

You have 4 teeth.

You like:

outside

morning jogs

throwing the ball

playing peek-a-boo

our puppies

books

singing

dancing

bathtime

silky blanket

I am so grateful that your daddy works so hard to allow me to be at home with you. It's the hardest job but I love it with every ounce of my heart and no amount of money could make me any happier than I am taking care of and playing with you. I cherish this time with you, sweet boy.

I love you to the moon and back.

Mommy